View full sizeNeal C. Lauron, Columbus DispatchCoach Urban Meyer says Buckeyes freshmen who still have a black stripe on the backs of their helmets will have a tough time getting onto the field.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Glenville's Devan Bogard was the first freshman to lose his stripe, so it's no surprise that the safety is one of the new guys whom Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is most eager to see on Saturday. He's one of several true freshmen who should play for the Buckeyes in the opener against Miami (Ohio).

From the start, Meyer has viewed redshirting as a fallback position, not something he plans on for his first-year players. Coming back from injuries will likely force Buckeyes such as offensive linemen Kyle Dodson and Joey O'Connor and running back Warren Ball to go that route.

For nearly every other freshman, the opportunity to get onto the field is there -- as long as they can get that darn black stripe off their helmet.

Meyer's rite of passage, in which freshmen start with a black stripe and then have it removed when they have proved themselves in practice, is one way to gauge which players have a chance to see some action.

"It's hard to play if you don't have your stripe off," Meyer said Wednesday after practice.

So far, 16 OSU freshmen have lost their stripes, including four walk-ons. The latest Wednesday were linebacker David Perkins, center Jacoby Boren, defensive back Najee Murray and walk-on offensive lineman Logan Beougher.

"So we're getting closer," Meyer said. "It's going to look bad with a big black piece of tape on their helmets Saturday. They're worried about the Buckeye Leaves, [but] they'll have a piece of electrical tape on their helmets. I'll get some emails about that."

Meyer, of course, was joking. But even though the stripes won't be there in reality, they will remain mentally.

There are 13 scholarship players from Meyer's first recruiting class who have yet to lose their stripes -- or at least haven't been announced as losing them. And this is kind of a big deal. The Buckeyes are keeping a running list in their game notes.

The freshmen with stripes remaining include linebackers Josh Perry, Camren Williams, Jamal Marcus and Luke Roberts; receivers Michael Thomas, Ricquan Southward and Frank Epitropoulos; defensive end Se'Von Pittman; offensive lineman Pat Elflein; tight end Blake Thomas; defensive back Tyvis Powell; and O'Connor and Dodson, both of whom had surgery and haven't practiced much, or at all. Perry and Epitropoulos were also slowed by injuries for at least part of camp.

You have to figure a few more of them will have the stripes removed soon, especially since three of them -- Michael Thomas, Williams and Perry -- are among the 10 true freshmen on the two-deep roster.

The others are offensive linemen Boren and Taylor Decker; running back Bri'onte Dunn; defensive linemen Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington and Tommy Schutt; and Perkins, the linebacker. And that doesn't include Bogard, who didn't make the two-deep but should see action on special teams and is still in the mix to play in the nickel defense.

Meyer is fine with leaning on that number of freshmen, which rises to 15 when including five other redshirt freshmen. He thinks that's a typical number in today's game.

"Nothing caught me off guard, as far as how many freshmen are involved," Meyer said. "Certainly, the last five, six years, a place like Ohio State or Florida, you go out and recruit guys that go play," Meyer said. "You're not recruiting them to redshirt."

But until they're ready, you are recruiting them to wear black stripes.

Also: Meyer acknowledged that the Buckeyes' uniforms may have changed slightly. He said he doesn't care what they wear, but he wants to make sure he didn't break any traditions. So Nike led the way, but Meyer ran the look past some former players, including OSU Alumni Association President and CEO Archie Griffin. . . . It continues to sound as if defensive end Nathan Williams will get into the game Saturday after coming back from knee surgery.

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